The Other One Percent

Indians in America

Sanjoy Chakravorty, Devesh Kapur, and Nirvikar Singh

Description

One of the most remarkable stories of immigration in the last half century is that of Indians to the United States. People of Indian origin make up a little over one percent of the American population now, up from barely half a percent at the turn of the millennium. Not only has its recent growth been extraordinary, but this population from a developing nation with low human capital is now the most-educated and highest-income group in the world's most advanced nation.

The Other One Percent is a careful, data-driven, and comprehensive account of the three core processes-selection, assimilation, and entrepreneurship-that have led to this rapid rise. This unique phenomenon is driven by-and, in turn, has influenced-wide-ranging changes, especially the on-going revolution in information technology and its impact on economic globalization, immigration policies in the U.S., higher education policies in India, and foreign policies of both nations.

If the overall picture is one of economic success, the details reveal the critical issues faced by Indian immigrants stemming from the social, linguistic, and class structure in India, their professional and geographic distribution in the U.S., their pan-Indian and regional identities, their strong presence in both high-skill industries (like computers and medicine) and low-skill industries (like hospitality and retail trade), and the multi-generational challenges of a diverse group from the world's largest democracy fitting into its oldest.

The Other One Percent

Indians in America

Sanjoy Chakravorty, Devesh Kapur, and Nirvikar Singh

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

PREFACE

CHAPTER 1. A SHORT HISTORY OF SMALL NUMBERS CHAPTER 2. SELECTED FOR SUCCESS CHAPTER 3. A COAT OF MANY COLORS CHAPTER 4. BECOMING AMERICAN CHAPTER 5. ENTREPRENEURSHIP BY THE NUMBERS CHAPTER 6. ENTREPRENEURIAL NARRATIVES, NICHES AND NETWORKS CHAPTER 7. HOST AND HOME

The Other One Percent

Indians in America

Sanjoy Chakravorty, Devesh Kapur, and Nirvikar Singh

Reviews and Awards

"During the course of their research, Chakravorty, Kapur and Singh have turned up countless new nuggets of information. So much of what we know about people of Indian origin in America is anecdotal that it is a relief to read a definitive interdisciplinary study drawing on data that involve a significant number of people. We learn about a complex group of over two million individuals who are becoming increasingly visible and influential in American public life."-The Indian Express

"In this new era of populism, The Other One Percent is a rigorous, fact-based analysis of how cross-border flows of brainy and ambitious people make the world a better place. Politicians and policymakers in both America and in India should make sure they read it."-The Economist

"No political issue is hotter than immigration. And no immigrant group has been more successful than Indians in the United States. This landmark work is the first comprehensive study of the Indian immigrant experience. It deserves close attention from all those concerned not just with the future of Indian communities but with America's future."-Larry Summers, former President, Harvard University; former U.S. Treasury Secretary

"In the last half-century, Americans of Indian descent epitomize how new waves of immigrants have been renewing our communities and our economy. The Other One Percent adopts a wide-ranging, data-based approach to understanding the fascinating rise of the Indian-American community in the United States. This insightful volume holds valuable lessons for rethinking immigration in the decades to come."-Jon Huntsman, former Governor of Utah and United States Ambassador to China

"In The Other One Percent, we get a full, first-ever picture of Indian-Americans, who have recently become among the largest nationality group of new immigrants to the U.S. and are also the most successful by many measures, including education, income and entrepreneurship. To understand how smart, updated immigration policies can harness the advantages of immigration for the U.S. today and into the future, this book offers a compelling case-in-point and call-to-action for Congress."-Doris Meissner, former Commissioner of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service; Senior Fellow, Migration Policy Institute

"The Other One Percent is a methodologically sophisticated, interdisciplinary treatment of the Indian diaspora. It combines scrupulous regard for data, with a deep historical insight, and sociological imagination to produce a deeply engrossing work. It provides a riveting and textured portrait of the Indian diaspora, its formation, its political preferences, its social and economic base. The book will unsettle many entrenched assumptions and open up a large research agenda."-Pratap Bhanu Mehta, President, Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi